


Fifteen Seconds

by Hatake_Kai



Series: AU Advent Calendar [2]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU
Genre: Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Gen, Neo-Gotham, possible WIP
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-15
Updated: 2015-12-15
Packaged: 2018-05-06 21:25:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5431310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hatake_Kai/pseuds/Hatake_Kai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Temp-Terminal” AU<br/>In a world where nearly everything has become an advertisement, people have been promoting themselves as a decent human being even more intensely through the use of “Temp-Terminal,” which are posters that advertise the visages of specific people - with the population of the world only rising, simply meeting someone in a coffee shop is practically unheard of. </p><p>Character A is mostly against the concept, so they abstained from what had become the obligatory wrist band that collected information from the Temp-Terminals throughout the day. However, they regretted every decision they had ever made up to that moment when they saw Character B on one of the screens, only to see them disappear without a trace moments later, just like they always do. In a world such as the one they were living in, everything had become painfully temporary.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fifteen Seconds

**Author's Note:**

> Another Work in the AU Ideas Advent Calendar Challenge.
> 
> Again, depending upon how well recieved and/or likeable to write these drabbles/one-shots are, I may extend one or two :)

“Good morning Bludhaven.” The staticky overly enthused voice of the radio D.J. made Jason groan as he rolled over to slap the alarm clock to get the bubbly woman to just shut up. “Today’s forecast calls for another unseasonably warm day, temperatures will remain in the 60’s with a cool southern breeze…”

Finally hitting the off button on the alarm clock made by the devil himself, Jason grumbled and decided that it was best to wake up. Even if he had nothing but time to kill before his nightly activities called for his attention, sleeping the day was not on his mind. So much had changed in the five years he was away from Gotham, America even.

In the years before his death, LexCorp was just releasing the Temp-Terminal 1.0. It was supposed to be a wristband/watch/super smartphone; with the ability to replace every piece of tech an ordinary person would need. The first models were glitchy and buggy as could be; but six months later with the Temp-Terminal 2’s release, it became an instant global necessity. Seven years after its first release, the Temp-Terminal brand has essentially taken over the world’s communication infrastructure, the small stylized bands of the new TT-Band decorating the wrist of every known person with access to any modern technology.

That is if that person was not legally dead, or of the tights and colored costume type.The new models people wore today were hooked into the national database. While criminals will always find a way, many crimes have been solved through the help of this latest tech. The hero communities, while condemning Luthor in their own passive ways, have been wary with the tech to protect their identities and families. Quite a few fetchling heroes and villains were caught early on before this particular feature was revealed.

Not that Jason even wanted to have the piece of tech following his every move, showing everyone his ‘Goodness Highlights’. That ridiculous hourly update of the people closest to you with the most ‘Goodness Points’. That was not what they were called, but most people, even the people into the movement, call it that. It was almost sickening seeing people’s cheeky faces when they are told they have won the hourly reward. President Luthor really was good at playing with people’s need of fifteen seconds of public shame.

Rapid urbanization in the last few years have made Gotham overcrowded, the excess had spilt into it’s ugly stepsister of Bludhaven. The city was experiencing an economic boom unprecedented in size, largely aided by government stimulus money. It made Jason want to gag whenever prissy women and their equally prissy male companions turned their noses up at the people they were screwing over as they purchased their beyond expensive cup of adequate coffee at the new coffee chains they seemed to sprout up overnight. This is where Jason found himself, more for convenience than patronage to the Fortune 500 company single handedly trying to put every local coffee shop out of business, hood pulled up around his ears as the arctic wind blew past him, mumbling a curse under his at the woman on his radio. This weather was anything but warm. Hands stuffed into his pockets to hide the lack of a TT-Band, Jason looks as the hourly ‘winners’.

It was just for a laugh, but he stops as a face comes into view. Obviously older due to the years, but still the same. A stupidly idiotic face behind too big of a smile and eyes so bright and blue they almost couldn’t be real. A police uniform was crisp and ironed, like he had just gotten dress (the bedhead confirmed Jason’s suspicion of that). The name tag was unreadable, but Jason just knew it was him. It had to be Dick Grayson, or a genetic double.

The screen changed to an old fat lady, face in a falsely surprised expression. She probably gave some of her money to a charity and ran it through the TT-Bands credit system. Jason did not stop staring though as another man came on the screen, and another until there was no more names and the posters turned back to their paid advertisements.

There was something about seeing the grown version of Dick Grayson on the screen that pulled on Jason’s heart. He ignored it though, moving towards the coffee shop. It was too late to see if that was really Dick. It was too late to go back to Bruce. It was too late to do much of anything, except make sure what happened to him never happens again.

**Author's Note:**

> Once again, I will attempt to get 'Birds of A Feather' updated ASAP... This is just a nice little vacation to play with my birdboys :)


End file.
